MM's TCOT Heartbroken Bride
by startwriting
Summary: I have some mixed emotions about this one ... I noticed I'm not the only one. So here are some MM's that take away the suggestion we love to hate. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

MM's Heartbroken Bride

_I really love to hate TCOT HB because of the suggestion that Kaitlynn could be Perry's daughter. So here are the MM's that kill all suggestions in that direction._

_Warning: If you don't like romance, you better not read this. _

_(big thanks to Michelle Weiner who inspired me … thank you for your lovely stories, your romance... sigh...)_

_Two chapters. When I finish them, I'll get back to TCOT Envious Enemy, this one had to go out first..._

**SPOILERS FOR TCOT Heartbroken Bride! **

_**Paris(h)**_

Of course, in other circumstances, she would have recognized his posture, but since the lights were off, and she thought he'd be in the office until late, she just hadn't expected him to be here. Waves of his scent were always present in her house, therefore also the scent that was Perry Mason was no warning to her that he was waiting for her.

So when she came into the kitchen and switched on the lights, the moment she saw him was the same moment her heart missed a beat from being startled nonetheless.

" Oh…. dear God…" her hand on her mouth, she steadied herself against the doorframe.

" No, it's just me … " he grinned, shaking his head, his eyes narrowed from the sudden light.

She chuckled low, and blew out a long breath. " I really didn't expect you here … " She put her purse down on the floor, " but I like a nice surprise … " Now she tilted her head, and gave him the radiant smile he was waiting for. The one with the smiling eyes and the pursed lips that started with a sweet blink. The one that made him melt.

He kept his face serious which made her look at him questioning. " I thought you'd be working late in the office. "

" That was my plan, yes …"

" So, what made you change your mind? "

" You. "

" Ohw. Am I in trouble, sir? "

" No." His voice was soft and low. He locked his eyes on hers.

" Something wrong? "

" No. " He sat back in his chair, in his typical pose, the one she loved so much, so dearly. One arm on the table, the hand of his other arm in his pocket, one leg crossed over the other. His handsome face serious, watching her.

She took him in completely, noticing her breathing heavied a little. It made her lips part. He was still so very attractive to her.

" Will you ever cease to amaze me, Della Street ? "

" Ehm … well, no. I'm not intending to. " She leaned back to the doorframe, and crossed her arms in front of her. " Why? "

" You saw Max coming to the office this afternoon … before you left. "

" Yeeesss… he said he wanted to talk to you alone. So I left. How is he ? "

" He's a, well, how he is supposed to be, devastated but determined to be strong for Kaitlynn. "

She nodded.

" Max told me something. Something he said he felt guilty about. " He carefully examined her reaction.

" Oh dear, Perry… did he confess to you? Did he kill Lon Hawks? " That scenario hadn't occured to her yet.

" No. I already found out who did it. Now I just have to find a way to prove it. No, Max didn't confess a murder to me. Not at all. " He shifted on his chair. " No, he told me that twenty-four years ago he visited someone to talk about a paternitytest he was planning to take. " He carefully examined her reaction again. His blue eyes watched her blushing face.

" I see. " She looked down to the floor, and swallowed.

" He said he talked to my secretary about it, and that he was surprised by her honesty and genuine concern. He was also quite surprised to find out she had a relationship with me, and that she was startled by his story, but understood him and persuaded him to do the test. "

" Yes. " She whiped the carpet with her foot.

" They had a very long talk. " He watched his hand making circles on the table. " They discussed the possible outcomes of the paternitytest and what it would mean to them and their relationships. "

She sighed. " Yes. "

" Max told me that they decided to let him do the test first, and if the outcome would be Max was not the father of the child, she would tell the other possible father, and she'd work things out with him, about the baby. About the future. "

Her sight became misty, and she whiped two little tears from the corners of her eyes with her index finger. He pretended not to see it.

" And if not, they decided to be silent about it. " his voice was soft.

" And so they were, " she sniffed softly.

" And so they were…" he repeated her words.

The long silence that followed was neither comfortable, nor uncomfortable. She queried his face, sought for an answer, was he angry, was he disappointed, was he hurt? She couldn't read him. He just sat there, watching her in a gaze that resembled, if anything, surprise. Astonishment. She decided to be the first to speak again. She had to swallow several times, before being sure her voice would come out right.

" You phoned me the morning after you spent the night with another woman when you were in Georgetown. You felt very bad about it, as I recall ... "

" Yes… "

" I asked you if you were sorry, and you said you were, and that you wanted me to be with you. You wanted to talk to me. And I came to see you, remember? "

" Yes… " He didn't move at all. His stare made her feel weak, insecure.

" Then you took me to Paris for a week, We had a gorgeous, romantic time there. You made me feel so secure about us, about our love, that I was sure that it was just a fling you had with the other woman, nothing really serious. "

" Yes…"

" I ehm … we talked about it, why you shouldn't have done it, and why you had done it, you said there had been two bottlles of wine involved and in all honesty you said you actually felt flattered because she was about 25 years younger than you were … "

" Yes … " His lips curled up into a small smile.

" U-uh." She grinned at his smile. " Well, and you were quite male at that time, as I recall. Testosteron and all, you know. When I come to think of it, you were even twice as male as you are now. And, not to mention of course, dropdead gorgeous … "

His lips curled up into a real broad smile now, but he still looked down at the table, drawing circles with his index finger. It frustrated her, that she still couldn't read him. And hadn't been able to do so for the past couple of days. What was going on in that brilliant mind in front of her?

" … and you still are, and not just to me. It's like Laura Parish said, you don't age, you just weather. And gain some weight ..." He just nodded. She continued. " We decided to leave your mistake where it happened, in Georgetown, and then when we came back from Paris, we kind of forgot about it and moved on, and… "

He nodded. " And... ? "

" And … " she swallowed hard, " ... then Max came to see me about a year later, and told me about his daughter, and his doubts about if he was her father. He showed me a picture of his wife, who had told him about you. I knew then that you had spent that night with her, with his Laura… I remember I was quite ironic about it, thinking, oh God… another Laura…" she smiled a small smile.

" And ? " His eyes stared out of the window into her garden. His fingers were tapping on the table. She wanted to grab him, to shake his shoulders, to jolt him, to demand that he would just tell her what he was thinking. To tell her how he felt.

" He wanted to take the paternitytest, he was very emotional about it, and…"

" And…"

" … we agreed that, if it turned out that the baby wasn't his, I would talk to you to have you take the test, and then we would probably learn Kaitlynn was yours, and …. "

" And… ? "

" … and, I insisted that he would give us time to work it out, that she would come to know you were her father, when she'd be a certain age. I wanted us to welcome her in our lives, in our homes, and that you would know you had a child that was yours … He said he would acknowledge that, but he wanted to raise her as his own together with Laura. I agreed with that of course, with all my heart, Perry, all the while knowing that it had been hard or us I couldn't give you children. " She sniffed.

" Della… "

" … I would never have taken away the possibility for you to be a father, to see your own flesh and blood grow up somehow. I know you had your struggles about wanting to be a parent, like I had mine. So, I told Max, that if you had begot a child, I would welcome it in my life and let it be part of yours. Ours. But … "

" But… ? "

" There was no need to tell you anything, because later that month Max told me the test had shown that he was Kaitlynn's father. "

" And you agreed to be silent about it, and so you were…"

" And so we were…"

After a long silence he stood up and rubbed his face. He leaned against the table, and grabbed his keys. Slowly, he walked towards her, and she held her breath. He was so close, she could take in his scent, she could hear his breathing, she could feel the warmth coming from his body. But he didn't touch her, he just stood there. She couldn't lift her eyes to meet his gaze. Afraid of what she might see.

" I need to think…" He turned his eyes up and watched the ceiling, as if to avoid her eyes.

" Perry ? What is it? "

" No, no, there is nothing, Della, it's not you, it's me."

" Well, but that still worries me, Perry... "

" You shouldn't, I'll be fine, Della, really. I just need to be alone for a while. "

" But Perry…"

He walked past her, taking away his warmth and his scent she had just dwelled in, taking away the arms she needed to be held with, the chest she wanted to lay her head against. The sound of his leaving footsteps pierced her ears. The frontdoor opened and closed silently.

She stood still for a very long time in her kitchen, trying to figure out what had happened there. Thousands of thoughts and feelings went throughout all of her body, she tried to swallow her tears, unsuccesfully.

Surely, she was convinced there was nothing wrong with what she had just said. It was the truth. She had handled in his best interest at that time, in her own, and in Max's, Laura's and Kaitlynn's. Laura had a severe postnatal depression, Perry was involved in a very difficult case about the murder of young twins, and she and Max had just been dealing with Max's doubts. That turned out to be unfounded.

She decided to take a long hot bath, and gathered herself together, preparing for whatever it was that was going to happen, when he came back.

If he came back.

And he did.

####


	2. Chapter 2

Part two - sorry for the delay, I'm travelling in France, campsites, so I don't have much internet available.

Hope you enjoy this - thanks for R&R, and thanks for the R&R you already did… it's very much appreciated...

**Chapter two**

_He was very happy to be well-trained to be capable to hide his emotions, so that he could hold her hand relaxed and lazily, while she sipped her coffee in the brilliant morning sun. " I love this, Perry, Paris in summer … thank you so much for taking me back here again. " _

_" Thanks for coming here with me again … " he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. She toyed with the ring on his little finger. _

_" And… now that we finally managed to get out of the room, where are we going today? " Her low chuckle made him look forward to the coming night, when he could hold her in his arms again, and kiss her, make love to her until she was witless. If she would let him. _

_After all, he was waiting for something that could change his life, their lives. _

_" I have plans, Miss Street, but I'm not telling you…" Maybe they wouldn't even make it through the day together… maybe that's why he had made them spend two whole days in the suite without leaving it. Maybe that's why he had wanted to spend his time taking in, kissing and marveling at every single inch of her, because she might not want him anymore after this morning. After he had to tell her. _

_" Does it involve Mont Martre in any way? " her question pushed him out of his misery, and immediately pushed him back in it again, because of the loving look in her eyes. Damn those eyes. _

_He just threw her a darkened look, and said nothing. His nervousness was getting to him, at the exact same moment the maitre came to fetch him. _

_" Mr. Mason, we have an urgent phonecall for you. You're free to use the manager's office to answer it, if you want. " _

_He extinguished his cigarette. " Thank you. I'll come with you. " _

_She rolled her eyes. " Who knows we're here, except Paul? "_

_" I'll find out, baby. Don't go anywhere…" _

_She tilted her head. " I'll have some more cafe au lait…" _

_With every step he took, he came closer to the truth, which felt like a burden this time. He used to be very, very able to shake off 'what if's', but today felt as if he was brought to court to hear a verdict, knowing he was guilty as hell, aware of the consequences and responsibilities, but absolutely not prepared to lose what he might lose. He took one last look from over his shoulder to the terrace. Lord, no. _

_He followed the maitre into a private office, and took up the phone. _

_" Mason. "_

_" Drake."_

_" Paul." _

_" It's a 'no'. "_

_" Not mine …" a deep sigh of relief escaped his chest, as a giant weight was lifted from his shoulders. _

_" No, she's definetely Max Parish's. Almost a hundred percent score."_

_" Thank God... "_

_" Yes, sure, whatever you say, Perry. "_

_" Thanks Paul, I ehm … this must have been difficult for you, but I didn't know who else to turn to, there is noone else I trusted enough to do this. "_

_" I'm not sure I can take that as a compliment…"_

_" I'm sorry. "_

_" Sure, you should be very sorry … oh, and Perry…." _

_" Paul? "_

_" If you ever do this again, or make me do this again…"_

_" ...yes… ? "_

_" … if you ever manage to take your pants off for another woman …"_

_" ...yes…? "_

_" I'm gonna kill you very slowly, and I'll make sure you're in so much pain, you'll beg me to shoot a bullet through your head. "_

_" I'll ask you to do that myself. "_

_" I'm not joking, you sonofabitch…" _

_" I'm not either. " He sighed into the phone, still recovering from the message, that made him feel blessed in an awkward way. " Thanks, Paul. " He leaned towards the table, and rubbed his face. _

_" You're welcome, you bloody idiot. Don't you ever make me do this again. " _

_" I won't. "_

_" Or anyone else. "_

_" I won't. "_

_" She's the best thing that ever happened to you. "_

_" I know. " _

_" She doesn't deserve you. "_

_" I know. "_

_" She with you? "_

_" Yes. "_

_" Spoil her. "_

_He just grinned. _

_" So long, Perry. "_

_" See you soon, Paul. Thanks, Paul. " _

_After he hung up the phone, he sank down in the chair behind the desk. The thought of having to tell Della he had begot a child with Laura Parish, was almost unbearable. _

_And now he did not have to tell her, because the little girl wasn't his. She'd grow up in a family with a mother and father that loved her, and nobody had to tell her ever that the man she loved as a father, wasn't her father. He felt relieved, and was very relieved to feel relieved. Not sure what to feel next, he decided to let his unconscious do the processing, and go back to real life again. To his own life again. To his Della, who was waiting for him. _

_The terrace was more crowded when he came back. It looked as if the sun was shining brighter, Della looked even more beautiful, and the idea to make love to her again was more appealling than ever. _

_He put his hands on her shoulders and started to massage her, when she turned her head." Was it Paul? " _

_" Yeah… just a new case coming up. " _

_" Oh…" she sighed, enjoying his strong fingers on her shoulders, but her mind already starting to prepare to get on the first available flight back home, and back to work. _

_" Don't worry, Della, I said I don't do it, I'm not taking it… " Lying to her while he didn't have to see her eyes was less difficult. It was his last lie to her ever. _

_" You turned it down? My, you must love Paris an awful lot to not be ready to leave here. " She looked up to him from the side._

_" No, baby… I love _you_ an awful lot. " He leaned towards her to kiss her lips. " Nothing is more important to me than you. Remember that… " _

_His voice came out husky, his throat thick with emotion. Not sure where this came from, she looked deeply into his eyes, and whispered. " Do you want to skip your plans and go back to the suite ? "_

_" What if I actually do? " _

_" Mont Martre will still be there tonight…"_

_" … and tomorrow …" _

####

It felt like rewinding events from earlier that evening. The same sounds reached her again, but in reversed order. First the silent opening and closing of the frontdoor, then the sound of his approaching footsteps, and then his warmth, the sound of his breathing, and his scent coming closer. His scent. Some of his cologne, some sweat, a small hint of the office, lawbooks. Very definetely Perry Mason.

" There you are…" she crossed her arms in front of her, and looked up into his face. " Before you start to say anything, I just want to know one thing. "

" Just one thing... " he repeated her words.

" Is this good or bad? "

" You can't read me, can you? " his eyes showed no emotion at all.

" No. "

" It frustrates you... " she caught a hint of a smile on his face.

" Yes. Yes, it does. I can't read you, I don't know what's going on inside your head the last couple of days, but especially tonight. I can't tell if you're serious or angry or sad, or … or … whatever… Where have you been? "

" I have been driving around, had a quick sandwich, drove some more, trying to find a way to tell you… , trying to find words. I just can't find words, Della. " he went into her kitchen and shook his head. " I can't find words…"

" But … then at least tell me if it's good or bad? " her frustration was now replaced by a certain kind of humour.

" I can't tell you … well, I can, but it's hardly sufficient … " He finally looked in her eyes, and there she saw it, nothing else but the gentleness she was used to see, nothing but tenderness and love. " There are no words, baby… "

" But what does that mean, Perry? "

" That I'll just have to let you find out the hard way…"

She frowned. That didn't make sense at all. Her eyes questioned his, just before she realised what was happening. One hand was placed next to her head on the wall, and the other captured the side of her head, his fingers buried in her curls. He brought his lips to hers, kissed her very lightly, and pulled back. His grip in her hair tightened just a little, and he kissed her again, nuzzling her face, tilting her head for better access. He tasted her as if it was the first time, didn't deepen the kiss, just tasted her lips with slow and sultry movements. Again, again, and again. Lingering and long. She stopped breathing.

Then he let go, and stepped back. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she inhaled firmly.

" Is that the answer to your question? Good or bad? "

She laughed softly. " Wellll, kind of, " she narrowed her eyes, " But I didn't quite get it. "

He snorted, feigning annoyance. " Kind of. She didn't quite get it... "

She smiled a genuine smile, and moved towards him. Very gently he laced his fingers at the back of her head, and used his broad body to push her back against the wall again. He moved her head to the side and kissed her again, long, more deeply, but still slowly, tender, so tender, tormenting, the sultriness and obvious withheld passion were eliciting soft moans from her. She grasped the lapels of his jacket. He laughed at her soft protesting moan, when he let go, after kissing her forehead.

" Better? "

She sighed again. " I think I have my answer. "

" Meaning? "

" It's good. "

" No, Della, it's not just good. It's…. it's… " He shook his head. He pulled her closer again, and softly enveloped her to his broad body. " I love you so very much, I can't even begin to tell you… I don't have words for you. "

" My. But what have I done ? "

" Della Street, you are the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful creature in the world. I have been driving around to figure out why I deserve you. What I have I done that I can have you with me, enjoy your company, watch your beautiful eyes, hold you in my arms, kiss you, feel you, spend all of my time with you. Dance with you. "

" But, I just did what I thought was right for you… and for us. At the time. And I meant what I said, I would never have denied you to be a father. Never. "

" I know. But now there is something I have to tell you … "

" Yes. I thought so. " And then she added playfully " Do you reckon I will need to drive around for a while too when you're done? "

" You might…" but he grinned. " But first, let's change places. "

" Sure. " She sat down at the chair this time, and he stood against the doorframe.

" So…" his low voice started.

" So…" she chuckled, but then straightened her face, and sat back.

" We went to Paris the year afterwards also, remember that? "

" Oh yes. We didn't leave the room for the first two days… how can I forget that? You were ehm… well, twice as male as you are now … My … " her eyes gleamed at the memory.

" Do you also remember a day when I insisted to have coffee on the terrace outside, and I was called away for an important phonecall?"

" Ehm … no …" she shook her head.

" When I came back I told you another case had come up, and I told you I turned it down…"

" Oh, yes, you turned it down… Yes, I recall that. " She nodded.

" That call actually came from Paul. I had asked him to find out the results of the paternitytest Max had taken. Laura had phoned me about this test just before we went to Paris. "

" So you knew…" now her surprise matched his earlier astonishment.

" Yes, I knew, " he started chuckling " … and now I've found out that you knew too …"

" And you never told me…" she stood up to hold him, to be held by him.

" No… " he held her close. " I didn't need to, because there was nothing to tell… Doesn't that sound familiair ? "

" We're quite something together, aren't we? "

" Yes, we are… " His eyes were gently staring at her. He grinned. " Now, I wonder what other secrets you haven't told me? "

" Will you tell yours? "

" I might. You go first… "

" Well… " she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face down to kiss him deeply, very long and very promising.

His voice came out husky, and he didn't give a damn. " That's not a secret, baby… your kiss has no secret at all for me… " All the while he had been searching for words tonight, while what he should have done was thinking about the possibility to tell her in a way that didn't need words. His hands were travelling underneath her gown, going their own way, touching what he knew was his. He was aroused by her playfulness, by her earnesty, by the fact that she always, no matter what, just stuck to what was best for them. This woman was his life. For very good reasons.

" Mmmmmmm, you know, " she whispered to his cheek, " I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before, but my mother once said, that if my older brother Steve would have been a girl, his name would have been Della, and I would have been called Laura... "

" You're kidding. " he pulled back to look at her.

" No, really. " she nodded to him.

" That would have made things a lot easier for me … then I'd just had to remember one name..."

" Perry…! " she smacked him while he roared with laughter and held her at her waist.

" I just want to hear only my name coming from you in the next hours…" her sultry voice was accompanied by her fingers that started to unbutton his shirt, very fast, and reached his belt so fast he gasped.

" Hours… ? "

" Remember Paris ? "

" Oh, I remember Paris …" He slipped his arms around her waist, and fondled the small of her back, before roaming down. He whispered to her " Let me love you, Della Street, … let me show you how much I love you, baby..." His mouth went down her throat, stopped to graze at her collarbones, to move sidewards, causing the straps of her gown to fall off her shoulders, and she hissed while inhaling. The deep moan that followed was the one that made him take off her gown over her head in an instant, and push her against the table.

" I'm all yours…" she whispered to him. " As long as you don't stop this…Please, don't stop this… "

And he didn't.

####

Together they watched Max hug his daughter Kaitlynn, before she went on her honeymoon with her fresh bridegroom Gary. The wedding had been wonderful and short, like they both had wanted it to be.

" Her father loves her very much…" Della's soft voice reached his ears.

" Yes, he does…" He pulled her to him with his left arm, and gave her a long loving look. She leaned her head against his shoulder, these arms and shoulders, located or dislocated, were the safest and warmest place on earth.

She kissed his cheek softly. As he watched Kaitlynn and Gary drive away in the white limousine, she whiped her lipstick from his cheek, and he turned to her again. " There is a small party now, with some nice music ... you know, music from our time, so to speak… Will you dance with me, my lady? "

" And you'll dance with me? "

" Oh, yes, I will. "

Laura's demure smile wasn't noticed by Perry when he refused to dance with her, because his eyes were already searching Della's to take her to the dancefloor. She looked from Max to Perry, and excused herself to Max. He just laughed and took Laura in his arms to dance with her.

Perry took off his sling gently and slowly, and put it down on their table." Be gentle. I can put my arm around you, but moving still hurts… "

" I'm always gentle, Perry …"

" No, you're not… little minx… "

She just chuckled and moved close to him. Her left hand slowly climbed to his shoulder, making sure she wouldn't hurt him. His left hand pushed her right hand on his chest, close to his heart. She moved with him with her usual grace, swaying gently, following his lead easily, her eyes closed, her breathing solid and calm like his.

" Della…"

" Mmmm? "

" Let's go to Paris after this. "

" After this? You mean tomorrow? "

" Tonight…"

" Tonight? "

" Yes, tonight …"

" Tonight? Sure, if I can get us on a flight… "

" You only have to pack… I already took care of the flight…"

" And the hotel? "

" Same hotel. Same suite …" he whispered to her ear. " I want to know more secrets about you…"

A small cry of delight escaped her. " Oh, you're … " she pulled back to watch his face.

He grimaced. " Don't go too far away from me now, baby, you'll hurt me…"

" I'll stay close… "

" Yes, please. I should have it dislocated more often maybe…"

They both immediately recognized the first tunes of the slow song that was next. It made him pull her closer to him. She tightened her grip on him, when he started to sing softly to her ear. The single tear that left her eye was caressed away by his left hand, before he kissed her fingers and drew her even closer to kiss her temple. With their eyes closed, they slowly swayed together to the tunes and lyrics that captured so well how they felt, knowing that they were so very blessed.

_Unforgettable, that's what you are_

_Unforgettable, though near or far_

_Like a song of love that clings to me_

_How the thought of you does things to me_

_Never before has someone been more_

_Unforgettable in every way_

_And forever more, that's how you'll stay_

_That's why, darling, it's incredible_

_That someone so unforgettable_

_Thinks that I am unforgettable too_

######### The End ##########

Song and lyrics: _'Unforgettable'_ by Nat King Cole of course, you might want to listen to the version Natalie Cole made. I like that as well…


End file.
